Be Very Careful to Love the Lord

 We encourage others to "be careful" when we are afraid they might hurt themselves. We also use that expression when we are warning people about others taking advantage of them. Usually, we don't say "be careful" when we are urging people to do something positive. However, I think we can see that we should be careful to do the right things that will help us in various ways, too.

Joshua told the people of Israel a lot of things they needed to remember. He did this when he was getting older, and he knew he would not be around to lead them much longer. (Joshua 23:11) One thing stuck out to me this time was when he told them to be very careful to love the Lord their God. What an important admonition for them and for us.

Love is not a feeling; it is a choice. We can choose to love anyone at any time. Most people don't think of love in that way. They think we "fall in love" with someone, and we can't help it. Yes, we may be attracted to someone for some reason, but we still have to decide to love them by putting their needs ahead of our own.

This is especially true when it comes to loving God. We must "be very careful" every day that we put God first. We must not let other things or other people interfere with our love for the Lord. If we do, there are terrible consequences. The Great Commandment is to love the Lord with all of our heart. That means to love Him constantly and completely. However, if we are not careful to do that, our love will wane, and we will drift from Him. Let's never let that happen.

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Tomorrow, I intend to read Joshua 24 and Judges 1-2.